Tone improving means



March 5, 1957 A. J. DELLAIRA ETAL 2,783,851

TONE IMPROVING MEANS I Filed Aug. 23, 1955 mveu'rons "I Angelo J. Delluiru Marvin-H. Pokmun Che ster C Posserellu $17 I W 8 fiz ff r ATTORNEYS iFMTE 7/ BY United States Patent TONE IMPROVING MEANS Angelo J. Dellaira, Marvin H. Pakman, and Chester C. Passerella, Trenton, N. .l.

Application August 23, 1955, Serial No. 530,102

Claims. (Cl. 181-47) This invention relates generally to a tone improving means and, more particularly, to a tone improving unit which may be attached to existing sources of sound waves to produce a more perfect and pleasant tone and which, when attached to musical instruments, will produce a perfect fifth on each tone that is transmitted.

It is well known that the sound waves from different sources of sound as musical instruments or loud speakers associated with radios, recorders, television sets or the like may be modified to have their tones changed and eliminate certain objectionable frequencies. in some sources of sound waves, it is particularly advantageous to remove the high, shrill tones that are accompanied with sound waves of high frequency. Such high, shrill tones are associated in particular with the loud speakers of television sets. It is therefore an object of this invention to enlarge, make deeper, more pleasant, less shrill and more powerful sounds by reducing to a great extent the high, shrill frequencies that are produced by particular sources of sound.

Broadly, we propose to provide for a sound modifying box which may be attached to existing sourcesof sound such as musical instruments or loud speakers. The sound box has therein, in its simplest form, a chamber in which there is an opening to let the sound waves in and in which there is another opening to let the modified sound waves out. Further embodiments of the invention have additional-modifying chambers inside the outside or main chamber defined by the sound box. Further embodiments include resonating tubes in the sound box or an additional means for filtering out high-frequency sound waves. The sound box may be further provided with a conical adaptor by which it may be inserted into the bell portion of brass musical instruments.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate various forms of our invention,

Fig. l is a partial side sectional view of a preferred embodiment of our invention with the adaptor placed thereon,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the tone modifying means of Fig. 1 taken along lines 2-2,

Fig. 3 is a cross-section of Fig. 1 taken along lines 3-3, and

Fig. 4 is a modified embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 3 having a different sounding board.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 denotes generally a preferred embodiment of the tone modifying means according to our invention. 2 is an adaptor which may be attached to the tone modifying means or sound box 1 so that the sound box may be inserted into the bell portion of brass musical instruments such as cornets and the like.

The adaptor 2 consists of a conical metal shell 3 which is made usually of some light metal such as aluminum and which has in it a plurality of apertures 4 through which air may escape. It is to be noted that the apertures 4 may be of any shape since they in no way affect or modulate the tone emerging from the musical instrument 2 and the purpose of these apertures is merely to allow for escape of excess air from the musical instrument. Spacers 5 are provided on the outside periphery of the adaptor in order that it may fit snugly into the bell portion of the musical instrument. These spacers may be made of cork, rubber or of any other relatively soft material.

The sound box 1 consists generally of a cylindrical housing 6 having rotatably mounted on an end thereof a modulating means 7. Housing 6 defines with modulating means 7 a modulating chamber 8 into which the sound waves flow from a source such as a musical instrument or a loud speaker (which are not shown). The sound waves enter into chamber 8 through an opening 9 formed in one end of housing 6 and which for convenience sake is referred to as an immission opening. The sound waves eventually leave the chamber 8 through slots 10 formed in the cylindrical sides of housing 6 and through slots 11 formed in the cylindrical skirt portion 12 of the modulating means 7. Modulating means 7 has an end portion 13 which acts as a sounding board to which the depending skirt 12 is attached. The end portion 13 is made of an easily flexible material such as light wood, so that it may easily vibrate in response to the sound waves contacting it.

Inside of sound box 1 and chamber 8 is placed a housing 14 which defines a second modulating chamber 15. Housing 14 has opening 16 for the immission of sound waves into chamber 15 and an opening 17 for the emission of sound waves from the chamber 15 back into chamber 8. The housing 14 includes a sounding board 18 which vibrates responsive to sound waves entering the chamber 15.

Placed at the immission opening 16 of housing 14 is a resonating tube 19 such as disclosed in Patent No. 2,581,553 issued January 8, 1952, entitled Tone improving Means for Accordions, invented by Marvin H. Pakman and Angelo I. Dellaira. This resonator tube comprises a cylindrical portion 20 having end portions 21 and 22. The cylindrical portion has therein openings 23 and 24 for the immission and emission, respectively of sound waves to and from the tube. The tube itself is made of a resonating material such as wood which may effectively filter a portion of the shrill, high-frequency sound waves associated with a source of sound. However, neither the particular dimensions of the tube nor of the particular kind of resonating material from which it is made is critical in diminishing the undesirable high frequency sound.

The resonator tube 19, housing 14 and sound box 1 are so arranged that the sound waves pass first through opening 9 into chamber 8 of the sound box 1. From there, a major portion passes into chamber 25 of the resonator tube, through opening 24 into chamber 15, and then through opening 17 back into chamber 8. From there, they are emitted out of the sound box through openings 10 and 11 at which time they have had the shrill, high, unpleasant frequencies removed.

We further provide for means of modulating the sound waves produced by modifying the effective discharge openings 16 of the sound box 1. This is done by making the modulating means 7 rotatable about the cylindrical portion 6 of the sound box 1. It is seen that by rotating modulating unit 7, a portion of'opening 10 will be cut ofi by depending skirt 12 so that, as seen in Fig. 2, if the modulating means 7 is rotated either counterclockwise or clockwise from the position shown, depending skirt 12 will mask a portion of the opening 10 to effectively change the size of the dicharge opening.

Fig. 4 shows a modified form of the invention in which the sounding board 27 equivalent to sounding board 18 of the inner chamber 15 has been modified by the addition of apertures 28. It is to be noted that these apertures it may vary in size and number, the particular size and number being determined by the exact tone desired.

The sound box 1 may be attached directly to a loud speaker of a radio, recorder, phonograph, or television set by placing the opening 9 immediately adjacent the loud speaker. In this event, the opening 9 should be of the same general size and configuration as the loud speaker to which it is attached.

It has been found that the sound box 1 will effectively modify sound waves emitting from a sound source to remove a great portion of the objectionable high-frequency waves even when the resonating tube 19 and the inner housing 14 defining the inner chamber 15 are not included. In effect, when this is done, the sound box mere- 1y includes an enclosure having an opening for the immision of sound waves, a second opening for the emission of sound waves, and a sounding board defining one or more sides of the enclosure. Also, it has been found that our invention produces an efiect-ive tone modifier even when the tone modifying means of Fig. 1 has the rotatable modulating means -'7 removed but when the tube and inner housing are included.

It has also been found that the exact shape of the tone modifying means and exact dimensions of the numerous openings are not critical, and that the openings and proportions may vary in a large degree. Thus, it has been found that the sound box 1 may be of a square shape and still produce the desired modulated tone. Also, it has been found that different portions of the device may be made out of different material, provided, however, that resonant tube 19, sounding boards 18, 13 and 27 are made of a material which will readily vibrate when brought in contact with sound waves.

Having described the invention, what we claim is:

1. Tone improving means comprising a sound box denning an outside chamber having therein at least one inside chamber, said inside and outside chambers each having an opening for the immission of sound waves therein from a sound source, a discharge opening for the emission of modified sound waves therefrom, and a side of said inside chamber being made of a resonating material and serving as a sounding board; said inside chamher being positioned with respect to said outside chamber so that a discharge opening of said inside chamber is immediately upstream of a discharge opening of said .42. outside chamber with repect to travel of said sound waves.

2. Tone improving means according to claim 1 having in addition at least one resonating tube placed in series with said inside chamber and within said outside chamber, said resonating tube having an opening for immission of sound waves and a discharge opening for emission of sound waves, said discharge opening of said tube being placed adjacent the opening immitting sound into said inside chamber.

3. Tone improving means comprising a housing defining an outside chamber, a resonating tube and an inside housing defining an inside chamber carried within said outside chamber, said tube and said chambers each having an opening for immission of sound waves from a sound source and a discharge opening for the emission of modified sound waves therefrom, said inside housing having a sounding board defining one side of said inside chamber; said inside chamber and resonating tube being positioned in series with respect to trave of said so n51 waves and with the discharge opening oi said tub adjacent the opening in said inside chamber for mmission of sound waves, and said tube and inside chamber both being positioned in said outside chamber with the discharge opening in said inside chamber beng immedately upstream of a s h g op ning of s d out de hambet with respect to travel of said sound waves,

4. Tone improving means according to claim 3 wherein said sounding board of said inside chamber has apertures formed therein.

5. The combination of the tone improving device of claim 1 with an adaptor; said adaptor comprising a conical shaped insert having openings at its two ends and a plurality of apertures in its conical sides to allow air to escape therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,150,215 McArthur et al Aug. 17-, 1915 1,352,115 Cooley Sept. 7, 1920 1,473,559 Johnson Nov. 6, 1923 1,481,634v Thomas Jan. 22, 1924 2 ,581,553 Pakman et a1. Jan. 8, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 533 12 F n an, l3 v 192.1 

